Paper-feeding register.



F. G. JAHN.

iAPER FEEDKNG REGISTER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 17, I914- 1,232,3 1 8. Patented July 3, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET llb'lll'llllll WITNESSES INVENTOR j %;/WM4 g 44M ATTORNEY F. G. JAHN.

PAPER FEEDING REGISTER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 17. 1914.

1,2323 1 8. Patented July 3, 1917.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

WIN/E8858 INVENTOR UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FREDERICK G. J'AHN, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNORTO INTERNATIONAL POSTAL SUPPLY COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK. I

PAPER-FEEDIN G REGISTER.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK G. JAHN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Paper-Feeding Registers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a machine or movement for a machine, by which any prescribed actuation can be effected, dependent upon the passage of an article through the machine. The articles referred to are pairticularly articles which are attenuated or frail in character, such as sheets of paper, envelops, cards, street car transfers, tickets,

- coupons, bank checks, notes and certificates,

mail matter or any filaments of paper, ,or articles of cloth or fabric which have but little rigidity.

lVhen the matter to be operated on is of suflicient stiffness, like the average mail matter, it is possible to have this matter, in passing through the machine, come in contact with a trip finger or lever, which sets in motion the desired mechanism. When, however, the matter is in the nature of thin paper, possibly with turned or curled edges, it has been found difficult to have this matter actuate a trip finger, etc., with sufficient force to do the mechanical work required. The advance edge of the sheet of paper is likely to be itself turned or torn, instead of overcoming the inertia of a metallic finger in its path of movement.

The principle employed in carrying out the present invention depends upon the differential velocity afforded by feeding couples so related to one another that the strength of the article fed secures an additional or super-added relative movement in one or both of the feeding couples. This additional or superadded movement constitutes the actuating force or means referred to in the preliminary paragraph at the beginning of the specification.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of a counting machine embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional side view of the same.

Fig. 3 is a sectional plan view, and

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view of a still further modification.

Constructions embodying the invention will include the feeding couples which may Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 3, 1917.

Application filed March 17, 1914. Serial No. 825,218.

be simple disks or rolls between which the ing of all portions of the rollers which bear upon the article being fed, to the same surface or peripheral speed. This bringing of these portions of all the feeding couples or rollers to the same surface or peripheral speed at any period of the action, will be occasioned by the passage-of the article fed between the rolls.

In the construction, as just outlined, the tensile strength of the article being fed will be directly drawn upon for this actuatiqn, and a force obtained as great as the tensile strength inherent in the article fed. After the passage of the article there will be a return movement, brought about by any suitable means.

The advantage particularly secured by this principle is the amount of force which is obtained to actuate any desired mechanism, by the passage of the frailest and thinnest paper articles, as city railway transfers, frequently crumpled and wet, besides being in themselves of the cheapest and thinnest sort of wood pulp paper. The force obtained is subject only to the limits of the tensile or shearing strength of the article, being otherwise as great as the driving means affords, which may be a hand actuation or power from any moving element in the machine used.

Many other advantages will however be obvious.

Among the ordinary uses of constructions embodying this principle will be mechanism for counting articles, or for tripping couples or rolls, as embossing, perforating, printing or feeding rolls, into engagement with one another or out of engagement with one another, or starting such rolls or couples into rotation or stopping their rotation, or ringing a bell, or making a contact for a distant actuation.

The structures of Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4 are illustrative of the foregoing principles emfeeding couples.

bodied in a mechanism 'wherethe additional or superadded movement is an additional rotative one, and is induced in one of the These constructions are furthermore adapted to a machine for counting transfers, which, as above pointed out, constitutes one of the important fields of use of this invention. In Fig. 4 however, the mechanism has nothing more than a lever in the parts actuated, and either construction may, of course,'form an actuating connection for any of the purposes and uses hereinbefore mentioned, or other uses.

Referring particularly to Figs. 1, 2, and 3, 1 designates a frame, 2, 3, 4 and 5 designate ru'bber covered or frictional surfaced feeding rolls, forming, as seen, two feeding couples, 2-3 and 45 respectively.

The roller 4 is supported on a permanent axis 4 in the machine and is power driven by a pulley 6 in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 1. The feeding roll 2 is likewise mounted on a spindle 2 of fixed location in the machine, as best seen in Fig. 3. It will be observed that at one end the spindle 2' has a fixed bearing in the frame at 7, while at its other end the spindle 2 has a fixed bearing in a depending stationary bracket 8.

The rolls 3 and 5 are of course merely the companion rolls forming part of the respective feeding couples, and are carried on an equalizing yoke 9, carried by springs 10 and also spring pressed to the right in Fig. 1 along its middle plane by these springs 10 which are attached to the main frame at 11. These springs bear on a fulcrum rod 12 of the, equalizing yoke 9.

It has been already stated that the feeding roll 4 is driven by the pulley 6, and this of course rotates the accompanying feeding roll 5 by the frictional contact of this couple. The feeding roll 2 is also driven but at an independent and distinct surface velocity. This is accomplished by a gear 14 on the spindle 4, meshing with an idler 15, which in turn drives the pinion 16 on an axle 17 connected through a flexible or Cardan shaft or the like 18, to the spindle of the feed ing roll 2. The relation of the diameters of the rolls 2 and 4, together with their angular velocities, gives them distinct and independent surface speeds. Of course, the independent and distinct surface speed may be obtained by rolls of the same diameter rotating at different angular velocities, or by rolls of different diameter, rotating at the same angular velocities, or both. In the construction of Fig. 1 the gears 14 and 16 are of the same size, but as the roll 2 has a smaller diameter thanthe roll 4, it has a less surface speed. This surface speed is of course communicated to the companion roll 3 of this couple by the frictional contact. Mention has been made of the axle .Thc axle 26 is driven at any 17, but in this mention it was not stated that this axle is not a stationary or fixed axle in the machine. As a matter of fact the axle 17 is rigidly journaled in the rock arm 19 which in turn is co-axially pivoted on the bearing of the gear 15. The rock arm 19 constitutes a means actuated by an additional or supcradded movement for producing a pre-determined effect in the-mechanism. In this mechanism the predetermined effect is the actuation of a counter 20. It will be observed that the frame 1 is slotted to permit the movement of the rock arm 19, and this movement can take place without changing the proper meshing engagement of the gears 15 and 16, because the rock arm 19 is (to-axially fulcrumed with the gear 15, so that the gears 15 and 16 do not change their actual distance apart, when the rock arm 19 moves up and down. This movement is furtl'iermore accommodated by the flexible shaft or Cardan joint 18. The rock arm 19 is maintained, in the present instance, in an elevated position by the usual returning spring, not shown, of the counter.

With the mechanism just described the respective pairs of rolls 2 and 3, and 4 and 5, have axes which never change their 10- cations, and when no transfer is passing through the machine the couple 2 and 3 has a less surface or peripheral speed than the couple 4 and 5. When a transfer is passing, however, the tension of the transfer will bring the couple 2 and 3 up to the same surface speed as couple 4 and 5. This addi tional speed is transmitted through the (ardan shaft 18 to the pinion 16. It will be found in practice that the pinion 16, which is journaled rigidly in the rock arm 19, moves the rock arm 19 downward. This is due to the fact that its superadded rotation cannot be accommodated by any other movement, in view of the fact that the pinion 16 is in constant meshing engagement with the gear 15 which does not change its speed.

In Fig. 4, the feeding couples have common axes, the rolls 2*, 3*. 4 and 5*, having generally similar properties to the respective rolls 2. 3 4, and 5 of the construction shown in Figs. 1. 2 and 3. Rolls 2* are fixed on an axle 25 while the roll 4 is fixed on an axle 26. The rolls 3" and 5* are loose. desired speed through a pinion 27. which in turn drives the axle 25 at a slower speed by a gear 28 on the axle Q5. The gear 28 is however neither strictly loose nor strictly tight on the axle 25. It has the power of rotating the axle 25 at its own speed normally, but the axle 25 can take a different speed if constrained to do so by the passage of a sheet bringing the various couples to the same surface speed along the path of movement thereof. The result of the axle 25 taking a different speed from the gear 28 is to cause the acutation of certain devices, wherever desired, by the additional or super-added movement, already many times alluded to.

In the practical illustration of Fig. l the foregoing effect is secured by merely having a coarse spiral thread engagement between the gear 28 and the axle 25, so that any relative turningmovement displaces one of the elements endwise. .\s shown, the endwisc movement of the gear 28 results in moving a lever or rock arm 29 attached to any suitable mechanism to he controlled. The usual register spring will restore the lever 2t) and the gear 28 to normal position. The return of the lever 25! may be secured in any suitable manner. It will be understood that the munber of feeding couples may be as great as desired.

hat is claimed is:

1. In a. counting mechanism a driving means, a pair of feeding couples, each couple comprising a pair of rollers, a machine frame having fixed axes for all the rollers, means for imparting independent and distinct surface velocities to the rollers, said velocities being derived from the single driving means. means for permitting an additional or excess movement in one of the couples to take place by reason of the feed ent velocities, displaceable means adapted to permit said couplesto move at the same velocity when both are in engagement with an article fed, and a device adapted to be actuated by the displacement of said means.

3. In a counting mechanism, a driving means, a pair of feeding couples, each couple comprising a pair of feeding rollers, means for imparting independent and distinct surface velocities to the rollers, said velocities being derived from the single driving means, means for permitting an additional or excess movement in one of the couples to take place by reason of the feed of an article, a counter, and means whereby the counter will be actuated by said couple when said super-added movement is imparted thereto.

4. In a mechanism, a pair of feeding couples, adapted to normally move at different velocities, displaceable means adapted to permit said couples to move at the same velocity when both are in engagement with an article fed, driving means for moving said couples at different velocities said means being adapted to remain in operative relation to each of said couples upon displacement of the said displaceable means, and a device adapted to be actuated by the said means upon displacement thereof.

Signed at New York city, in the county of Kings and State of New York this 7th day of March, A. l). 1914.

FREDERICK G. JAHN.

Witnesses (J. A. WOOLLEY, JonN J. DOYLE. 

